Friday, May 17, 2013

Monet to Picasso: Masterworks from The Batliner Collection

The Presentation “Monet to Picasso: The Batliner Collection", 14 September 2007 through 6 April 2008, at the ALBERTINA, Museum, Vienna, Austria; offered an informative overview of one of the most exciting chapters in the history of art: the turn from figural to abstract art. Through approximately 250 works, the continual progression from Impressionism to Modernism could be clearly appreciated. The fortunate combination of the Batliner Collection and the Forberg Collection with works from the Albertina has brought together work groups by pioneering artists, making it possible to provide an overview of the many “isms” of the modern era. At the centre of this presentation was the Batliner Collection, which was transferred to the Albertina by the Herbert and Rita Batliner Foundation in May 2007.

The point of departure was French Impressionism, with exceptional late works by Monet (“Water Lily Pond”) and Degas (“Two Dancers”) and Post-Impressionism, primarily represented by artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec and Cézanne, the latter with his favourite themes such as the Arc Valley and the Sainte-Victoire Mountains or the bathers.

The show continued with the Nabis group with Bonnard and Vuillard, whose predilection for ornamental composition in surfaces is manifested most of all in lithographs. The “wild”, intensely colourful works by Matisse, Vlaminck and Derain exemplify the Fauvist movement, while the Signac’s Pointillist approach represents Neo-Impressionism.

Orphism was presented in key works by Delaunay and Kupka, followed by the German artists of Der Blaue Reiter, Marc, Macke and the early Kandinsky, who were decisively influenced by this “ism”.

An important step on the path to abstraction was represented by Cubism, which was brilliantly represented by Braque and Picasso. Picasso’s late work, which played a uniquely significant role in shaping the art of the 20th century, formed a further highpoint of the exhibition.

Alienation and mystification were reflected in the Surrealist paintings of Miró, Klee, Arp, Magritte and Delvaux. An independent chapter of no small significance was represented by the Russian avant-garde with Lissitzky and Malevich. The show concluded with impressive examples of Abstract Expressionism, including Appel, Rothko and Newman, and the New Realism of Yves Klein.